THE ESSENTIALS OF AN EFFECTIVE CHURCH
As we read the Scriptures, we often claim the promise of Jesus, that He “will build His church.” Being in a new church, and having invested our lives and our resources in this church for the past few years, and realizing how much Jesus loves His church, many of us want very much for this church to grow. We want to see its ministries expand. We want to see the Lord bless. We want to see people’s lives changed.
This week, as I thought about church growth and the ministry and mission Jesus has given us, one passage of scripture came to mind again and again. It is the passage of Scripture, which speaks of what Jesus saw and did, just before He sent His disciples out for the first time.
This morning, I invite you to turn with me, in your copy of God’s Word, to Matthew chapter 9 and verse 35, as this morning we see together the essentials of an effective church.
- Read Matthew 9:35-10:5
As we look at this passage, as we study God’s Word together, I notice four essentials of an effective church.
An effective church has people with:
I. THE VISION AND HEART OF JESUS
- Matthew 9:36
Verse 36 tells says that when Jesus saw the people, He was moved with compassion because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.
My friends, if we are going to make a difference, if we are going to have an impact, then we must have the vision and the heart of Jesus.
Jesus, perhaps on a hillside with His disciples, looked toward the people and saw them in a unique way. He saw them as people with needs. He saw them as people without a Shepherd. He saw them as people, beaten and bruised, going from one hurt to another, looking for help.
Let me ask you, when you see Muslims demonstrating on TV, what do you see? When you see people destroying their marriages through immorality, what do you see? When you see a woman heading for the door of an abortion clinic, what do you see? When you see a crack head, strung out and emaciated, what do you see? When you see politicians, attacking Christianity in the hopes of getting a vote, what do you see? When you see people working more and more hours, sacrificing their lives and their families in pursuit of the American dream, what do you see?
Often, I am afraid; those in the church see people they don’t want to associate with. Often, we see people who are reaping what they’ve sown.
When Jesus looked at the people coming toward Him, He didn’t see prostitutes. He didn’t see drunks. He didn’t see abusers. He saw people hurting. He saw people in need, searching everywhere the world had told them to search, looking for help. He saw sheep without a Shepherd. He saw people in the chains of sin, looking for hope and help. “When Jesus looked out over the world, it was the helplessness of the people, their depression and suppression that He saw.”(Matthew, Volume 1, The Christ Book. Frederick Bale Brunner, p. 363) He saw that they didn’t need anything as much as they needed a good Shepherd, the One that David met in the 23rd Psalm.
My friends, the Bible tells us that people who do not know Jesus Christ are blind, they are lost, they are condemned, they are lost, slaves to sin, and spiritually dead. Jesus saw the people as they really were and that vision moved Him to compassion. It made Him physically sick. It made His stomach hurt.
My friends, if we are going to be an effective church, we must have the vision and heart of Jesus. We must begin to see people the way Jesus sees them, and we must care for them the way that Jesus does.
***### Have someone pray for our church’s eyes & heart.
Let me look on the crowd as my Savior did
Till my eyes with tears grow dim,
Let me view with pity the wandering sheep,
And love them for the love of Him. (Author unknown)
Not only must an effective church be filled with people who have the vision and the heart of Jesus, but an effective church also has people who recognize their dependence on God.
II. RECOGNIZE THEIR DEPENDENCE ON GOD
- Matthew 9:38
When Jesus saw the people, when He saw their need, what did He tell the disciples to do? He told them to pray. He didn’t tell them, first to fix the problems. He didn’t tell them to start a new program. He didn’t tell them to begin advertising or to list all of the things the people were doing wrong. Jesus said, “Pray.” Why? Because we are dependent on God for a harvest.
> John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, …
> John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
An effective church is a church filled with people who recognize their dependence on God. They are people of prayer.
***### Have someone pray that we will recognize our dependence on God.
An effective church is filled with people who have the vision and heart of Jesus. An effective church is filled with people who recognize their dependence on God. Third, an effective church has a sense of urgency about their mission.
III. HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY ABOUT THEIR MISSION
- Matthew 9:38
The word translated here as “send out” means to force out. It means to “cast out” or to “thrust out”. In other words, Jesus tells us to pray that God will light a fire under His people. That we will develop a sense of urgency about the mission God has given us.
Do you realize that between 1990 & 2001, Christianity in America declined by 8.5%? While Christianity in this country has declined, the number of people who follow Buddhism has increased by over 169%. The number of Muslims in this country has grown by over 109%, and Hindus by 237%. (Figures compiled by AMF, from The Present Future by Reggie McNeal, and the U.S. Census Bureau). Do you realize that in our country, Christian churches spend an average of $1.5 million for every person we lead to the Lord! (Approximate 2002 AD Global Mission Statistics, 07-17-02, www.uscwm.org).
Why does it cost so much? Because we have no sense of urgency about the mission Jesus has given us! We’re more concerned about our buildings and buses, air conditioners and acoustics’, chairs and comforts than we are about leading people into a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!
How well does the psalmist describe American Christians today when he writes in,
>Psalm 142:4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
We must realize the importance of the mission Jesus has given us. Worldwide, 155,000 people die every day. During this service, over 270 people have died in the United States. The majority of them died without knowing Jesus, and the future is not bright for them.
After the ship has struck the iceberg is not the time to be arranging the chairs on the deck. We must realize the urgency of the Mission Jesus has given us.
***### Pray for a sense of urgency.
An effective church is filled with people who have the vision and the heart of Jesus. An effective church is filled with people who realize their dependence on God. An effective church is filled with people who have a sense of urgency about their mission, and an effective church is filled with people who are willing to go.
IV. WILLING TO GO
- Matthew 10:5
After Jesus taught the disciples, after He demonstrated a compassionate heart, after He had them pray, He sent them out.
An effective church is filled with people who are willing to go. They realize the need of the people around them. They realize they can’t change the world themselves, so they pray. They realize the importance and urgency of their mission, so they are willing to go.
> Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.
An effective church is one filled with people who have hearts of compassion, who see the need of the world, and realizing their dependence on God, say, “Here am I. Send me.”
It’s not enough to say, “Something needs to be done.” It’s not enough to say, “Someone needs to tell them about Jesus.” No, an effective church is filled with people who are willing to go.
*** Show video, The Harvest
